Rebel of Slytherin
by Arbil
Summary: An edited version of the story in my old account, with major changes. A new student comes to Hogwarts during 6th year and befriends Harry. Who is she? How is she related to Draco? Can she be trusted in these dark times?
1. A New and Old Acquaintance

A/N: Hey, it's me again! After reading the sixth book of HP, I decided to rewrite and refine my story. A number of predictions did come true. While the skeleton of the story will remain pretty much the same, there're some major changes as I hope to achieve a darker effect. Beware that there may be spoilers along the line!

Disclaimer: HP is not mine, or I'd pair Harry with Draco!

Since I can't use asterisks or the like, here are new keys:

"…" talk

'…' thoughts

**Bold **changes in scene/time

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Chapter 1: A New and Old Acquaintance

On the dark street of Privet Drive, one particular window was still alight despite the late hour. In that little room of No. 4, Privet Drive, a boy sat in his rickety bed. He was busy rereading the letters he had gotten over the summer, the tip of his wand alight. Harry Potter was too restless to go to sleep, not with so many events going on around him. Parchments, quills, clothes and all sorts of rubbish were strewn all over the floor. Spread out on his bed were recent copies of the Daily Prophet, sporting various headlines and moving pictures. Hermione Granger's letter echoed what was shown on the news channel everyday. The Muggle (non-magical community) world was in total disarray in the light of strange happenings. Inexplicable weather conditions, sudden ruin of infrastructure, gruesome murders that seemed to take place under impossible circumstances; these were but a few of the problems that cropped up. The wizarding world, however, seemed to suffer a worse battering. Murders splashed the front pages of Daily Prophet, the whole magical community was teetering on the brink of chaos as Lord Voldemort had returned and swore vengeance on the world.

Ron's letter had told him of the resignation of Cornelius Fudge as Minister for Magic. Rather, the wizards and witches of the country demanded for him to stand down. The new Minister had been appointed the day after that; Rufus Scrimgeour. But what arrested his attention now was the letter he was currently reading. It was from his headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. The contents of the letter were short and quick.

_Dear Harry,_

_I will be coming on the 19th of August to accompany you to the Burrow, where you will spend the rest of your holidays. Please inform your aunt and uncle of my arrival at eight that night._

_Yours truly,_

_Albus Dumbledore._

Tomorrow night was the time appointed. Harry was quite aware that he had not packed yet, and with a slight panic, began to rush around the room, locating various items. Halfway through packing, there was a knock on his door. Harry froze. Why would the Dursleys be up at this hour? There was the knock again. Slowly, cautiously, he opened the door a crack. It was Aunt Petunia.

"May I come in?"

Harry hesitated at the polite tone in her voice, and then opened the door to admit her. He watched her as she navigated her way through the mess and found a chair to sit in.

"Is there anything?" asked Harry.

"You're leaving tomorrow, aren't you?" Aunt Petunia didn't quite meet his eye when she said that.

"Yeah, I told you that my headmaster would come pick me up."

"It's been so long since you came here…"

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He couldn't tell which direction this conversation was going.

"I…there were times when we did not seem too…hospitable, Harry. Perhaps we should've treated you better,"

Harry was truly alarmed by now. In the back of his mind, he searched wildly for an explanation to his aunt's strange behaviour. His eyes settled onto an old issue of the Daily Prophet, which displayed an article that warned the readers about funny-acting relatives and friends.

"You! Who're you?"

The woman in front of him looked shocked. "I'm your Aunt Petunia-"

"No, you can't possibly be her! Are you an impostor? Have you been controlled by the Imperius Curse?" Harry whipped out his wand, ready to cast the first spell that springs into mind should Aunt Petunia suddenly attack him.

At this, Aunt Petunia shushed loudly and looked wildly from left to right, as though some nosy neighbour might be listening in on them. "Don't," she hissed. "Say that-that word! And put that away!"

'That's Aunt Petunia, all right, but why's she acting all weird?' thought the green-eyed boy.

"I know we have not been very nice, but you could at least show some appreciation for my making an effort." Aunt Petunia huffed.

"But-but…"

Aunt Petunia took something out of her pocket; it was a silver locket. She handed it to Harry, who upon inspection discovered the initials 'L.E.' carved on the back of the locket. Harry looked up in disbelief.

"Is-is this…"

His aunt nodded, "That was your mother's. That was the only thing she left me before running off with your father." At this point, her eyes filled with tears. Harry stood still, not sure as to how to react.

"I was always so jealous of Lily. I wondered sometimes why she'd have these powers and I didn't. She was always so clever, and popular and beautiful…But she was my little sister, my only sister."

It seemed to Harry that it took all of Aunt Petunia's self-control not to start howling. He awkwardly handed her a tissue. Without warning, she flung her arms around him and started sobbing.

"Aunt Petunia!"

"Oh, you must wonder why I hate you so! I don't, but your eyes…You reminded me so much of her, reminded me how much I missed her!"

With that she started bawling again. Harry looked around in alarm.

"Aunt Petunia, you shouldn't cry like this. You might wake Uncle Vernon," he whispered.

This thought stopped her sobs at once. She wiped her eyes hastily and said, "Ah yes, of course. This is not like me."

'You have no idea.' Harry thought to himself.

Aunt Petunia straightened herself, trying to look dignified. She gestured at the locket, "I want you to have it. It was, after all, Lily's."

"Thank you," said Harry hoarsely. He fingered the object in his hand. This had been his mother's, had been a proof that Aunt Petunia actually loved her sister. Unexpectedly, Harry gave his aunt a warm hug. Aunt Petunia was genuinely surprised by this act, but only returned the embrace.

"I know that tomorrow you will leave this place, and all the memories you've had experienced here. None of those memories were good, I dare say. Ever since Lily left, I tried to live as an ordinary person. I pretended that magic does not exist and tried to cover for her loss by thinking that she simply was…not like us."

Aunt Petunia placed her hands on Harry's shoulder, "But the night you arrived at my doorstep, I knew that I could never live normally. We have not been very loving. I won't ask anything of you but for you to be safe."

"You really do have your mother's eyes, Harry, dear." Harry gasped a little.

"We'll send you off tomorrow. I just hope your headmaster will enter through normal means."

Harry chuckled. None of the circumstances were 'normal' when he left the house for the past five years. Aunt Petunia rose to leave when Harry suddenly got an idea, "Aunt Petunia, if you don't mind, I'll write."

For a while Aunt Petunia looked dismayed as she remembered the disastrous event when her house was flooded with letters sent by the owls. Harry couldn't suppress his grin as he added, "I'll only ask Hedwig to drop the letter off." The look of shock on aunt Petunia's face was replaced by one of relief. After she bade him goodnight, Aunt Petunia left the room. Harry finished his packing and sat down to examine the silver locket more closely. He pried it open and found something carved on the inside.

_A word of kindness can heal a thousand wounds._

Harry smiled. He slipped the locket on, the metal strangely warm against his skin. As he lied down to sleep, he dreamt of his parents, dancing under the trees of autumn.

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7.55. Harry glanced out of his window nervously. The Dursleys were gathered in the living room downstairs. His trunk was ready by his bedside, Hedwig's cage perched on top of it. Two more minutes and it would be the appointed time. Would his headmaster really come? Harry cast a searching eye towards the streets. There was nothing remotely extraordinary about it.

Downstairs, the clock struck eight. It was at that very moment that something happened. A streetlamp went out. And then another, and another. By the eighth chime, the street was dark and a sharp rapping erupted on the front door. Harry bounded downstairs and threw the door open.

Albus Dumbledore stood with a smile at the doorway. He didn't exactly look the way Harry remembered him. Dumbledore's face was more lined, and he somehow looked weary. Harry's joy was quickly replaced with worry.

"Good evening, Harry."

There was surprisingly little commotion with his leaving. There was a short exchange of words between Dumbledore and Aunt Petunia; Uncle Vernon had only glared at the headmaster. Harry had no doubt that Uncle Vernon was just waiting for him to disappear from their lives (at least, until the next summer holidays). After leaving Privet Drive, they had gone to persuade a Professor Slughorn to resume teaching at Hogwarts. Finally, the sight of the Burrows brought a close to the night's events.

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**Diagon Alley**

Diagon Alley was pretty deserted. Most shops had been closed as witches and wizards tried to flee London before anything disastrous takes place. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny had just exited Flourish and Blotts, their arms full of books. It was no longer safe for them to walk by themselves on the streets. Everyday, Death Eaters attacked some place or another, making the atmosphere everywhere highly tense. As they hurried through the alleys, Harry caught sight of a fluttering cloak making a turn around a corner he knew too well; Knockturn Alley.

Harry's heart skipped a beat. Without alerting the others, he tailed after the person. Very slowly, very silently, he peered around the dark corner. To his surprise, he found a girl crouching down near the ground. Alarmed that she might have been injured, Harry quickly moved to her side.

"Are you all right?"

The girl looked up and Harry noticed immediately that she had the most vivid red eyes. She pushed strands of raven black hair out of her face and stared at Harry for a while.

"Yes, I'm all right. But I lost something very important around here."

The Gryffindor could tell from the girl's appearance that she was foreign. Wordlessly, she crouched down and tried to peer into a grate. She looked truly frantic.

"What is it that you're looking for? I can help you, if you like." Harry offered.

"Really?" Her red eyes lit up gratefully. "It's a bracelet, a gold one."

Harry got onto his hands and knees and looked under the broken wheelbarrow. There, between half an inch of space, he spotted something glinting in the very faint light.

"I found it, hold on. _Accio bracelet!_"

It wasn't as spectacular as Harry had expected it to be. It was, in fact, rather dull. The bracelet looked as though it had seen a lot, and had been worn down through the years. The girl took it from him with trembling fingers, treating it with so much delicate care that Harry wondered if it might fall apart.

To his great surprise, the girl gave him a quick hug.

"Thank you, thank you so much!"

Colour rose to his cheeks upon the suddenness of this action, by a stranger nonetheless. He stuttered a 'you're welcome' and turned to walk out of Knockturn Alley. The girl gave him a bow of gratitude and waved him goodbye, leaving Harry to wonder just that girl was.

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**Hogwarts Express**

After waving the Weasleys goodbye, Harry lugged his baggage into one of the many compartments. Ron and Hermione followed suit and placed their entire luggage in the compartment as well. After a while, both Prefects went out to do their prefects' duties (patrolling the corridors) leaving Harry to himself. Sitting alone turned out to be very uncomfortable, as there was a group of girls giggling outside his compartment. Harry tried to ignore the slight distraction. Pulling out his OWL results, he studied the piece of paper again. He was quite satisfied with his results really; as he had expected, he had an 'Outstanding' for Defence Against the Dark Arts. He only failed two subjects; History of Magic and Divination (he didn't care; he was going to drop it anyway). One thing he did regret was the 'Exceeds Expectations' he got for Potions. This meant that he won't be able to pursue his ambitions of becoming an Auror since Snape will never let him into his class.

Just then, the compartment door slid open and in strode Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood.

"Hello, Harry! Had a good summer?" Neville squeaked excitedly. Harry smiled to himself. The round-faced boy had come very far from the shy, scared boy he once was. Trained by Harry himself during their special meetings of the DA, Neville proved to be exceptionally skilled in duelling. Not only that, he had slowly begun to grow more confident and was even able to stand up to those who bullied him now. Luna walked in with her nose buried in the newest edition of the _Quibbler_. She looked up briefly and muttered a quick 'Hello' before reading again. Neville nodded at the compartment door.

"There're a lot of people outside your compartment, Harry." No sooner had he said this, a girl entered, flipping her hair in a somewhat conceited manner. Her overly sweet smile served as a warning; whatever was on her mind was bound to be something unpleasant.

"Hi, Harry! I'm Romilda Vane. You can come sit with us, instead of being with those losers."

"They're my friends." Harry replied coldly, taking an immediate dislike to the Ravenclaw. Romilda looked as though she had been slapped in the face. Then, she hitched back on her sickening smile (at this point, Harry was reminded of a certain Umbridge) and left.

"That was really nice of you, to stand up for us like that." Luna thanked him quietly.

"You _are_ my friends. They didn't fight by my side at the Department of Mysteries." Harry's heart stung a little when he was forced to recall the death of his godfather, Sirius Black. Luna sat opposite him, giving him an understanding look. It made him feel better to know that she understood the pain of having lost someone dear, and remembered the words she had said to him last year. They were five minutes into conversation when Ron and Hermione re-entered the compartment.

Ron was scowling, "Those gits! I have no memories whatsoever that I used to act like them."

"Well, Ron, you really have, you know. Like the time when-"

"Alright, I get the point! Oh, hello, Neville, Luna."

The familiar grating sound made them turn to the compartment door. A girl had just stepped in.

"Excuse me, but have you seen an owl fly by?"

She caught sight of Harry and her face lit with recognition.

"Oh, it's you! Thank you for your help earlier." She bowed. Harry fidgeted uncomfortably, aware that four pair of eyes were watching him.

"It's nothing, really. By the way, I'm Harry Potter."

"I'm Rena Hung. Your story is a legend, even in my country." She shook hands with him. Soon, Rena was introduced to everyone else.

"So, you're in Hogwarts too…"mused Harry.

"Yes. I'm a foreign transfer student. I'm actually very nervous, since Hogwarts is a very famous magical school. To get a chance to study here is an honour." She said rather breathlessly as she took the seat beside the window.

Hermione continued to ask Rena questions about her culture, old school and background. Then, for the fourth time of the day, the door to the compartment slid open, revealing a boy of Harry's age, though taller. Draco Malfoy scanned the compartment lazily, running his fingers through his blond hair. The atmosphere tensed as Harry eyed his arch enemy warily.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Ron didn't bother to mask the irritation and anger in his voice.

"Nothing."

Where were the scathing remarks, the scornful glares? Malfoy without his hostility was simply…not Malfoy! Something about him was different. Harry noticed a certain weariness in the way he spoke, the way he moved. The Slytherin turned to leave when he caught sight of the new girl.

"Re-Rena?" spluttered the boy as his grey eyes widened drastically.

"Hello, Draco. It's been a long time." A small smile graced her lips.

Everyone in the compartment stared at the pair. For a whole minute, silence reigned supreme. The unsettling hush was broken by flapping wings and an eagle owl landed on Rena's shoulder. She turned her head to it, stroking its brown-grey feathers.

"Where have you been, Talons?"

As though the arrival of the owl made him realise just how many people were staring at him, Malfoy snapped out of his daze.

"I'll…speak to you later."

For one moment, Harry thought he saw sadness flash in those grey eyes. Once Malfoy left, everyone turned to Rena. Sighing, she knew she had to explain this.

"I guess you'll want to know how I may be associated with Draco."

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A/N: That's the first edited chapter of Rebel of Slytherin. I rushed through a bit through the story, since I don't want to rewrite what's in the book. Of course, I guess it wasn't such a good way to do it but I wanted to get on with the story. Please review and thanks! 


	2. Reminiscence in the Mist

A/N: Well, here's the second chapter. There's going to be a lot more flashbacks, in regard to Rena's storytelling.

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Disclaimer: HP will never be mine, but it's up to my imagination how I'd like to manipulate them, hehehe…

"…" talk

'…' thoughts

_Italics _Flashback

**Bold **changes in scene/time

* * *

Chapter 2: Reminiscence In The Mist

Rena gestured for Harry and the others to make themselves comfortable. 'This is going to take some time.' Outside, the mist thickened to shroud the train. As a result, the compartment dimmed. The silence became uncomfortable when Rena slowly arranged her words. Harry fidgeted impatiently. Ron too, he noticed, was tapping his foot.

"It happened when we were about 8…"

* * *

"_Mama, mama! There're a lot of people at the old mansion today!"_

_A young Rena, with her raven hair tied in two braids, climbed onto a chair. A woman with gentle eyes and a kind smile peered over the kitchen counter._

"_Really? They must be those visitors your father mentioned yesterday."_

"They were the Malfoys, who had come over for a vacation. They rented a mansion across our house for the month. I went to watch them move their stuff in. It was quite a sight, since I had never seen so many wizards at that young age."

Harry cocked his head in confusion, "But you live with your parents…"

"My mother was a Muggle, and we led a rather isolated life."

"Oh!"

"Anyway…"

_Rena peeked from behind the tall gates, eyes sparkling in awe at the magic performed by the wizards. There was a lot of noise as they were busy shouting instructions at each other. In the midst of the hubbub, the little girl spotted a small boy huddled away in the shadows of mansion._

A ghost of a smile flitted across Rena's face. "That was when I first met Draco Malfoy."

"_Hello!" Rena had walked up to the blond and taken the initiative to greet him._

_The boy looked up, startled. "Oh, hullo…" _

"_My name's Rena Hung! Nice to meet you!" she thrust out a hand to him. The boy stared at the hand as though he had never seen something like it before. His gaze shifted to the girl's face. He looked at the dazzling smile with wide, unblinking eyes. At last, he took the hand and shook it. _

"_Draco Malfoy…" murmured the blond. Rena's smile widened._

"_So Draco-" Draco blinked. This little girl, who barely knew him, had addressed him immediately by his first name. But it sounded pleasant so he said nothing. "Let me show you around!" Without warning, the red-eyed girl pulled him by the hand and dragged him away from the mansion.  
_

Rena laughed suddenly. "You should've seen the look on his face."

"I could immediately tell that he was lonely, being an only child myself. So, I guess he was surprised to find a total stranger like me so eager to make friends."

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"_Thanks! I had a lot of fun today!" beamed Draco._

_Suddenly, he cast his eyes down, "Um, maybe…maybe we could…play again?" He added hastily afterwards, "If you don't mind, of course."_

"_Silly! Of course I don't mind! I don't have a lot of friends here." _

"_Why not?" asked the blond, confusion swirling in his grey eyes._

"_Because I'm a Muggle-born…" replied Rena quietly. "Anyway, good bye! I'll see you again tomorrow!"_

Ron snickered, but everyone ignored him. They were too enraptured by Rena's tale to pay much attention to him.

"_My father says I can't play with you anymore…" _

"_Why not?" Rena sounded so alarmed._

"_Because he said you're a-a…Mudblood…" he flinched as he whispered the last word._

"_Oh," came the withdrawn reply. Draco chanced a glance at Rena. He was shocked to find those ruby eyes glistening with tears._

"_I guess I understand. Everybody stops playing with me after a while anyway. I just thought maybe…" she began to sob, and took off._

"That sounds a lot like him all right!" Ron said gruffly. Rena continued.

_Rena curled herself up between the branches of her tree. Her sobbing had ceased but tears still poured down her cheeks._

"_Rena,"_

_Rena looked down. Draco, cheeks flushed pink and panting, was standing right below here. Rena panicked. This was her sanctuary! No one was supposed to come here!_

"_What are you doing here? Go away!"_

_Draco looked like he was torn between decisions. Then, he planted himself determinedly to the ground. "No!"_

"_Go away! You hate me, don't you?" Rena felt like crying again._

"_I don't hate you! Why did you say that?"_

_How could he be so stupid and forgetful? Forgetting her tears, she yelled angrily from the branches._

"_You said you don't want to play with me anymore! So you must hate me! Everyone hates m-Aaahh!"_

_Rena lost her footing and plummeted to the ground. She pinched her eyes shut, bracing for impact with the hard, solid earth. What she collided with however, was softer that she imagined. Rena opened one eye, and gasped._

"_Ow…" moaned Draco from under her form._

"_Draco, are you all right? Did you hurt yourself?" asked the raven-haired girl anxiously._

"_I should be asking you! Falling from a height like that!" _

_For a moment, both children paused for breath, the adrenaline still coursing through their veins. Taking opportunity of her relief, Draco interjected._

"_I don't hate you, and I don't ever want you to think I do!" He looked oddly dishevelled from breaking Rena's fall. "I want to continue being friends with you!"_

"_I'm sorry." The blond bowed his head and apologised._

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_

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville bore similar expressions of what could only be described as utter disbelief. Their amazement had grown as the tale progressed. By now, the amazement had gained vast proportions.

"I _can't_ believe it!" said Ron. Harry could only stare mutely.

"Well, he's a very nice person, once you get to really know him. He's always kind to me."

Harry heard Ron snort, which sounded suspiciously like 'Dragon dung'. Rena observed their reactions silently and carried on.

_Rena dug her foot into the ground, boring a hole into it with the toe of her shoe. What was taking Draco so long? It was already getting dark._

"_Sorry, I'm late."_

_Rena looked up, glad that he was finally here. But her joy transformed into worry when she saw his face hidden under a cloak._

"_What's wrong?" she made to pull the cloak off but Draco stepped back._

"_N-Nothing."_

_Rena's eyes narrowed in suspicion and in a quick movement, jerked his hood back. She gasped. There was a large red patch on his left cheek and it appeared as if his bottom lip was split._

"What happened?" squeaked Neville. He sounded as though he was listening to a ghost story, and something horrible was going to happen next. Rena's look darkened.

"_What happened?" She grabbed his arm, causing him to flinch. Rena let go immediately. She peeled back his sleeve to find a long, angry gash on his arm. She told him to wait and disappeared. After a while, she returned with a wooden box. Hastily, she rummaged through the box and produced a small jar. _

"_It's a healing ointment. Here, give me your arm." Gently she applied the cream onto the gash. Draco hissed at the stinging sensation it caused. Rena worked consistently to apply a few other potions and creams onto his bruises and cuts._

"_That's all I can do. I don't know how to use magic yet…" Rena wanted to cry over her helplessness, but forced herself to focus on the matter at hand._

"_Tell me what happened."_

"_My father…he found out about you. He got angry." Draco said tonelessly._

"That's simply not right!" exclaimed Hermione in spite of herself. "You can't simply punish a child for having a friend!"

Rena smiled mirthlessly. "True, but his son had a _Muggle-born_ friend. That makes all the difference to him."

"But that's wrong! To hit a child so severely is, is-" Hermione struggled to explain her dismay.

"Abuse."

Everyone turned to Harry. The Gryffindor was staring at Rena, but he was looking past her. Malfoy? An abused child? It couldn't be!

"What," Ron began hoarsely, then cleared his voice. "What happened after that?"

Rena shook her head. "Nothing. The Malfoys were gone the next day. Just like that."

Her red eyes were clouded with memories, no longer aware of her surroundings. Harry couldn't believe that the spoilt Slytherin had in fact, been treated roughly by his parents. In this sense they were alike, and it disturbed him that he was unable to see Malfoy's true face, being a sufferer of the same. But no, not the same exactly. The Dursleys neglected him, sometimes to the point of starvation in the worst situations. But never, never wanton violence.

Rena rose from her seat slowly, Talons on her shoulder. She placed one hand on the compartment door, but stopped.

"I'm asking all of you…please, do not mention any of this to anyone. Consider this my request."

Seeing the five nod, she smiled and bowed, "Thank you."

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A/N: Second chapter…wasn't exactly something I had expected, but good. I'm pretty satisfied with the result. So, again, please review after reading. Thank you! 


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